


Guinevere's Mission of Vital Importance

by tehfanglyfish



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Awesome Gwen, F/F, M/M, Written for Verdantmoth’s Poetics Fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 21:59:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17475731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehfanglyfish/pseuds/tehfanglyfish
Summary: Gwen is on what should've been a solo mission. Recruiting help leads to happy endings all around. Also, Arthur uses poetry to keep his people abreast of changes within the kingdom.





	1. Gwen's Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Not my characters, not my franchise, no profits for me!

Guinevere sighed as she struggled up the castle stairwell. She was a woman on a mission, but as she was quickly learning, missions could be quite heavy. Though halfway to her destination, there were still several flights of stairs left to climb. She stopped for a moment to rest, placing a crate and a basket, both covered with lids, on the landing. Normally she would have asked Lancelot or Elyan to help, but they were off on patrol together, leaving her without her lover or her brother to assist. While Gwen was quite used to carrying heavy loads of laundry and food throughout the castle, she normally wouldn’t have to haul quite so many things at once. Her plan wasn’t guaranteed to succeed and she didn’t want to jeopardize it by making make multiple trips to move all of her supplies.

“Good morning, my lady,” came a voice from behind.

“Good morning, Gwaine.”

“It seems you have quite a load. Do you need any help?”

Gwen hesitated, unsure about involving someone else in her spur of the moment plan. If things went well, having a co-conspirator would be great. If the mission failed, though, then Gwaine would also have to suffer the consequences. Considering the literal weight of carrying out her plan as well as the remaining stairs left to climb, Gwen decided that she simply wouldn’t fail.

“That would be lovely. Thanks, Gwaine. You take the crate and I’ll get the basket.”

Lifting the crate, Gwaine was surprised by its weight. “This thing is heavy! I’m surprised you made it this far. What do you even have in here?”

“Oh, this and that. Now let’s hurry. We need to get to Percival’s chamber before he leaves for afternoon training. Oh, and don’t tilt the crate. It’s very important that it remains level. Otherwise our mission may fail.”

“We have a mission?”

“Time-sensitive and of the utmost importance.”

“That’s somewhat cryptic but very intriguing. I’m in. Lead the way.”

The two climbed the stairs in companionable silence. Finally making it to the correct level of the castle, they headed down the hall toward the knights’ chambers as Leon approached from the opposite direction.

“Gwen, Gwaine, have either of you seen Arthur and Merlin?” Leon asked.

“I haven’t seen either of them today,” Gwen replied as Gwaine shook his head. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m not quite sure,” Leon replied. “I think the two of them have had a falling out of some sort.”  
“Ah,” said Gwaine, “that could have just been a polishing dispute.”

“Initially that’s what I thought. I heard raised voices in Arthur’s chambers earlier today. Then Merlin stormed out, which isn’t necessarily unusual, but then Arthur ran after him. The king seemed desperate to have him come back. He was yelling something about not being ashamed, tiring of secrecy, and that his poem was actually quite good. When I tried to follow, Arthur told me to ‘mind my own sodding business’ and here I am. It’s quite perplexing.”

“Hmm” was the only response Gwaine could muster, his brain mulling over clues that he’d been compiling over the past few years.

“Sir Gwaine, I would think that as a knight of Camelot you would take this situation far more seriously,” Leon snapped. “What if another king has discovered knowledge that might be used to blackmail Arthur or break his alliances?”

“While that would be alarming, I really don’t think that’s the case,” Gwaine muttered.

“And how can you know? You’re clearly not giving this the attention it deserves.”

“Gentlemen,” Gwen’s voice broke through, her impatience growing. “Gwaine and I are in the middle of a very sensitive mission that can only be completed before the start of the knights’ afternoon training session. Once it is over, we can look for Arthur and Merlin together, but right now Gwaine and I have work to do.”

Gwen knew that she had to get to Percival soon. Merlin and Arthur would have to take care of themselves for the time being. If there had been true danger, the king wouldn’t have sent Leon away. Gwen wasn’t going to be thwarted by their… whatever it was. 

“And is this mission of great importance for the kingdom?” Leon asked skeptically.

“Actually, it is of the greatest importance. It is vital for maintaining knightly discipline and focus. If we succeed, Camelot’s defenses will be even stronger than they already are.”

Gwen returned Gwaine’s questioning look with a slight smile.

“If that is the case, then you will need all of the help you can get,” Leon said resolutely. “I will join you on your mission. For the love of Camelot.”

“Um, thanks,” Gwen said. Having yet another accomplice added more pressure for success. “In that case, onward to Percival’s chamber.”

The three continued down the hall and rounded a corner. Percival’s door was now in sight and Gwen was beginning to feel a bit better. Leon was the most reserved of the knights, but he and Percival were friends and so everything should be fine. Anyway, there would be no sending Leon away after her speech about safety. Best just to get things over with quickly.

Perhaps Gwen relaxed too soon. Walking past a closed door, the group heard the unmistakable sounds of Merlin and Arthur arguing with one another on the other side.

“I refuse to hide any longer. What kind of king am I if I keep acting like a coward about this?”

“It’s not cowardice, you clotpole, it’s pragmatism. Rivals will use this against you. And what about an heir? Because without one the kingdom is vulnerable.”

“And I will have one. Maybe not a child of my own, but I can name a successor. Which I honestly think will be a positive change for the kingdom. Leadership should be based on ability rather than simply heredity. I think my father was an excellent example of how securing an heir doesn’t guarantee solid governance.”

“Well, your majesty, you’re just full of sweeping changes today, aren’t you? Why not just abolish the monarchy while you’re at it?”

“Merlin… can you just stop for a moment? We both know that this has nothing to do with the kingdom and everything to do with your fears of…”

“My fears? You’re the one who initially said that we couldn’t tell anyone and I was ok with that and now here you are wanting to make this all public… and formal… and official… and… that poem was just… and you were going to read it in front of the court to announce…”

“Well if you’re not afraid then are you ashamed? Because…”

Leon knocked on the door.

“Er, everything alright your majesty? It’s just we were walking past and we heard…”

Arthur forcefully opened the door. “You heard nothing Sir Leon and I thought I told you to… oh. Guinevere… Gwaine… Merlin and I were just… discussing matters of state.”

Gwaine gave a polite nod. 

Gwen glanced behind Arthur, taking note of the mortified expression on Merlin’s face. The corridor was quickly filling with awkward tension. There was only one thing for it. Gwen really hoped that things went according to plan.

“Sire, Merlin,” Gwen began, “Gwaine, Leon, and myself are on a mission of utmost importance for the safety and security of the kingdom. However, time is of the essence and if we delay much longer, the mission will fail. Perhaps you could join us?”

Arthur looked surprised but stepped out to join the others. “Come along, Merlin. Gwen, what can we do to assist?”

“Actually, I need to distribute some, um, supplies, that will help. Gwaine, if you could please set the crate down over here.”

Gwen removed the lid and began handing out items to the men surrounding her. She smiled to herself as she observed the confused expressions on their faces. She picked up the basket and continued down the hall.

“Follow me.”

Finally reaching Percival’s door, Gwen knocked gently.

“Percival,” she called, “are you still in? It’s Gwen. I’ve got something for you. It will only take a second.”

After a moment, the door opened. Though Percival had tried to block entry to his chamber, Gwen slipped past as though she’d been invited in.

“Guinevere, it’s always good to see you but right now isn’t the best time and…”

“No worries. We won’t be long. We just needed to drop some things off for you. Gentlemen, if you’ll join me over here.”

Reluctantly, Percival allowed Gwen’s entourage to enter.

Gwen smiled at them.

“If you’ll each give Percival your gift,” she prompted.

With full formality, as if bestowing a knighthood or a title, Arthur stepped forward. “Sir Percival, I present you with this… wooden post wrapped in rope?” 

“Er, thank you, sire,” Percival said, taking the item and wondering if perhaps the king had hit his head a bit too hard at yesterday’s training.

Merlin stepped forward and set his offerings on a table. “Percival, have this pitcher of milk and plate of what appears to be diced chicken.”

Leon, at a loss for words, handed Percival a round cushion, and then glanced at Gwaine.

“I got you a… box of dirt.”

Percival found his voice. “That’s very appropriate from you, Gwaine.”

Gwaine glared.

“Thank you all, I think,” Percival said, clearly ready for this… whatever it was… to end. “You are very… generous… and it was good of you to visit but now I must excuse myself to get ready for…”

“Wait,” Gwen said. “There’s one more thing. Here.”

She handed the basket to Percival. He held it wondering if perhaps it was he who had suffered the head injury and this was all a complicated hallucination. 

“Open it,” Gwen smiled.

Percival removed the cover from the basket and peered inside.

“Oh Gwen…” he sighed and beamed at her. 

Carefully, Percival reached into the basket and pulled out a tiny black and white kitten that he cradled in his hands. The kitten began to purr.

“The kitchen staff found him two days ago,” Gwen explained. “He was crying for his mother but she never showed up. His teeth are coming in so he might be able to eat the chicken but he may still need to drink milk for a while longer. If you set up the post, he’ll have a place to sharpen his claws and he can sleep on the cushion. The dirt is his… garderobe… it will need to be changed out each day. I can help with that when you’re on patrol.”

Percival looked up at the group, his eyes watering.

“Thank you all so much,” he choked out. “This is the time of year when Cenred’s forces attacked my family and it’s always hard. I miss them so much and I always get caught up thinking about how I should’ve been better. Fewer needless arguments. More time just being with each other… and now it’s too late and there’s so much I should have told them that I can’t.”

Everyone stood in reflective silence for a moment.

“But, I think it’s going to be good to have this little guy in my chambers to come back to each day. I’ll take good care of him.” Percival’s voice cracked. “Thank you all so much. You are wonderful friends.”

“We’ll leave you two to get to know one another,” Gwen said, motioning for the rest of the group to leave.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you that afternoon training is cancelled,” Arthur said as he exited. “No need to rush anywhere today.”

Closing the door behind her, Guinevere let out a massive sigh of relief. She’d hoped that the kitten would bring Percival comfort but she had worried that he might feel embarrassed, especially with Arthur and Leon present. 

“It was a very kind thing that you did, Guinevere,” Arthur said quietly as they walked away from Percival’s room.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know that it was the anniversary of Percival losing his family,” Gwaine muttered. “I should’ve known that.”

“You’ve done a great service for a knight of Camelot,” Leon said to Gwen.

“Gwen,” Merlin said, “you deserved all the credit for that. You made it seem as though we’d all planned it together.”

Guinevere turned to her entourage.

“I only knew because Lancelot mentioned it to me before he left on patrol. He wanted me to check in on Percival and then I found the cat and had the idea but I was worried that it would make him feel awkward which, Gwaine, is why I was trying to get all of the supplies here in a single trip. That way I could drop everything off and get away quickly if I accidentally embarrassed him. Honestly, I think having all of you along made things go better. It reminded Percival that there are many people in Camelot who care about him and that he’s not alone.”

The group wandered on down the corridor for a bit, lost in their own thoughts, until Gwen stopped abruptly.

“When he gets back, I’m going to ask Lancelot to marry me. I love him and I don’t want to wait.”

The men stared at her.

“Er… isn’t the man the one who proposes?” Leon asked. “I mean, isn’t that typically how it’s done?”

“Well, yes,” Guinevere conceded. “I suppose that it is traditional for the man to ask but Lancelot is a bit hesitant. He worries about offending you, Arthur, even though you and I have both made it clear that we are simply good friends. Percival got me thinking. I don’t want to miss out on the life that Lancelot and I could have just to satisfy tradition. Which might be something for some of the rest of us to think about.”

She gave Merlin a very pointed look.

“Anyway, thanks everyone, for your help. I’ve got to get back to work.”

Leon and Gwaine excused themselves, leaving Arthur and Merlin alone to wander aimlessly for a bit.

“Arthur,” Merlin began, “do you mind if we go back to your chambers? I think we need to talk about some things. Such as which specific day you want to make your announcement.”

“I’ll need a little time. I’ve got to revise my poem to include a few more details.”

And so, a week later at the next council meeting, the kingdom learned that plans were in the works for a double-wedding in Camelot. Few were surprised that Lancelot and Guinevere were getting married. The news that the king was marrying Merlin, however, came as a shock to many. It was compounded by the fact that when Arthur made his announcement, he introduced Merlin as his court sorcerer, with the ban on magic rescinded. Acknowledging that he and his betrothed likely wouldn’t have children of their own, Arthur named Gwen as his successor to the throne, contending that she was well qualified for the position due to her wisdom, skill with a sword, diplomatic abilities, awareness of all levels of Camelot society, and extremely kind heart.

Though the residents of Camelot argued amongst themselves as to which piece of knowledge was most surprising, all could agree that what was most unexpected was the king’s method of relaying this information, presented to the kingdom in the form of a poem. 

Still, these were modern times in the kingdom and most people welcomed the changes as they seemed to spread happiness throughout the realm.


	2. Arthur's Poem

Arthur’s Poem: 

Which the King Actually Read Aloud at the Next Council Meeting, Leading to Scandalized Glances from Assorted Nobility, Polite Clapping from Most, Enthusiastic Applause from Gwaine, Tears from Percival, and Merlin Almost Collapsing from Embarrassment

 

Guinevere and Lancelot

Decided now’s the time to tie the knot

With all the remaining years they’ve got

They’ll stay together in love caught

(also it will be a double wedding – more details to follow)

 

Sorcery

Does not have to be

So bad you see

When it’s done for me

(and also others and when it’s not done out of malevolence and doesn’t harm people)

 

This man with the magic eyes

Also has the nicest thighs

His powers make my kingdom (and something else) rise

Despite a deluge of threats and lies

(from assorted enemies, mainly created by my father, who was awful at governing and I’m determined to avoid his mistakes so I’ve lifted the magic ban immediately)

 

I want for all of Albion to know

Just how deep our love does go

It’s as purer than the freshest snow

We consummated it ages ago

(specifically about two summers past)

 

And while we can’t produce an heir

For my kingdom’s future, I do have care

Should I fall I’ll be replaced by Guinevere

As queen she’ll govern from the royal chair

(she’s wise and kind and surprisingly good with a sword so don’t cross her – also far more qualified than my father ever was if you think about it)

 

I refuse to live in shame

I think it’s wrong to hide love’s flame

The time for this has long since came

If Merlin won’t have mine I’ll take his name

(we’re getting married in a double wedding with Gwen and Lancelot – I’m the king and anyone who doesn’t like it can answer to me and my knights. Also I’m making him my court sorcerer. Suck on that Uther!)

 


End file.
